Real New England Weddings: Sarah Loyd & John Tietze

Draw inspiration from their stylish celebration.

August 8, 2008
Arnold Arboretum & Les Zygomates, Boston

new england wedding

Photograph by Ashley O’Dell

It was love at first “strike” for North Enders Sarah Loyd and John Tietze, who met at fencing club practice at the University of Minnesota. “We were each other’s toughest opponents,” says Sarah. For their unconventional ceremony at the Arnold Arboretum, Sarah, a comparative studies grad student, made her own dress; John, who studies philosophy at Boston University, wore a tie sewn from the same bright fabric. “Red is passionate, which is what we wanted for our wedding,” Sarah says. To wit, she also wore a crimson birdcage veil and red wine–colored lipstick.

As the pair prepared for marriage, neither person wanted to compromise his or her identity by assuming the other’s name. So they chose to share a new moniker—the English translation of the Welsh word from which Sarah’s maiden name originated. And so it was that, in a ceremony amid the trees, the couple in red became Mr. and Mrs. Grey.

new england wedding

Photograph by Ashley O’Dell

Sarah ditched dress shoes for comfortable blue Converse.

new england wedding

Photograph by Ashley O’Dell

Two My Little Pony figurines modeled the wedding rings.

new england wedding

Photograph by Ashley O’Dell

Sarah’s bouquet consisted of deep red roses with silk flowers she made herself.

new england wedding

Photograph by Ashley O’Dell

She also handcrafted the red silk boutonnieres.

new england wedding

Photograph by Ashley O’Dell

The couple gets romantic under a canopy of leaves.

new england wedding

Photograph by Ashley O’Dell

Sarah and John both wore red striped socks under their formal attire.

new england wedding

Photograph by Ashley O’Dell

The three-layer chocolate cake was topped with figurines of Dr. Girlfriend and The Monarch from the Adult Swim network’s cartoon The Venture Bros.

new england wedding

Photograph by Ashley O’Dell

Sharing a kiss on a bench at the Arboretum.

The File

Ceremony: Arnold Arboretum, 617-524-1718,  arboretum.harvard.edu

Reception: Les Zygomates, 617-542-5108, winebar.com

Gown: Sarah sewed the gown herself using dupioni silk from silkbaron.com

Menswear: Suit from Banana Republic, bananarepublic.com; tie sewn by Sarah

Cake: Provided by Les Zygomates

Flowers: Sarah bought the roses from freshroses.com and arranged the bouquets herself

Officiant: Rev. Carolyn Dittes, 617-495-5987

Limousine: Antique Limousine, 781-715-1922, antique-limousine.com